


Unexpected

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Series: Moving Targets [16]
Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M, Families of Choice, Mia has Ollie wrapped around her finger, Mia missed Oliver, Oliver adores Mia, Protective Oliver Queen, Rational Chloe Sullivan, Speedy Mia Dearden, superheroes and sidekicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Chloe and Oliver return to Star City sooner than planned, and they might have more to deal with than they thought.
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Mia Dearden, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan
Series: Moving Targets [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748179
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Queen Limo, Star City -- March 4, 2011**

They had made it back from Kenya in record time, Chloe had barely even had time to say goodbye to Lois and they were on the plane again. She had tried to get him to relax and calm down all the way back to California, but hadn't been very successful. Now that they were in the limo making their way back to the Headquarters, it was her last chance.

"Just talk to her, we're not even sure it really was Mia." And while that was a lie, Chloe just wanted to make sure Mia had the chance to explain herself before Ollie grounded her until she was in her seventies.

"Who else could it possibly have been?" he asked, shaking his head. "Even if one of the league members was patrolling as Green Arrow, they don't have the training it requires to hit a target." He drew in a breath. "It was Mia."

Chloe sighed a little and nodded slightly, watching him, "but going to talk to her while you're this angry, it's not gonna help, she has to know she's in trouble already, Ollie."

"I'm not angry," he said automatically.

"Yes, you are," she told him, reaching for his hand, "and I understand why you are, but listen to what she has to say first."

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "This is not the life I wanted for her."

"I know it's not," she said quietly, brushing her thumb against the back of his hand, "and maybe it was a one time thing."

"You really believe that?" Oliver asked just as quietly.

Chloe paused for a moment and sighed softly then shook her head, "no, not really," she admitted, "but I do want you to listen to her before you decide what to do."

He raked a hand through his hair. "I will."

"It'll be okay, Ollie," she assured him, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He shut his eyes and leaned his head against hers. He just hoped she was right.

Because he was far from convinced.

They pulled up to the front of the house a few minutes later and as soon as they were inside with all of their luggage, Chloe heard hurried footsteps on the top floor; clearly Mia hadn't been expecting them to get back so soon, "go ahead," she told Ollie, "I'll be around if you need me."

Oliver forced himself to take a deep breath, nodding a little. "Thanks," he murmured, looking up toward the stairs.

Mia had managed to make it to her room and open all the books and notebooks she could get her hands on over her desk, then leaned over them just as she heard someone coming upstairs. She knew there was no way out of it, she knew Oliver had seen the news or something because there was no way they would have taken a trip to Africa and planned on staying just three days, which meant she was in trouble.

He paused outside the door, taking in her posture--hunched over her desk looking as busy as she possibly could. "What, no welcome home?" he asked wryly.

She stilled, swallowing hard then putting on her best smile as she turned, "you're already back? I thought it was just AC or Dinah."

He raised an eyebrow at her, folding his arms across his chest silently.

Her face fell and she sighed, shoulders hunching more, "fine, just yell already."

"Why would I yell?"

Mia gave him a look and crossed her arms over her chest too, "because you need to tell me how disappointed in me you are and how you can't trust me."

Oliver stared at her for a moment. "Is that what you think I think?" His voice was quiet.

"Isn't it what you think?" She asked with a frown.

He sighed softly, letting his arms drop to his sides as he moved over to sit down on the edge of her bed. " _No._ " He gazed at her intently. "I've never been disappointed with you, Mia."

"Then what is it?" She asked, letting her arms drop too but mostly out of frustration, "just say it already, I need to know if I should start packing my stuff."

At that, his eyes widened a little. "Mia, I'm not kicking you out," he said, shaking his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "I would never do that to you."

Mia relaxed slightly at the information. That was probably the worst he could do to her, so it was a relief to hear he didn't plan on doing it. That was what she was used to happening when she screwed up, well that and some other things that she knew Oliver would never do to her, which was why the last thing she wanted was to have to go back to the people who would. She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her lap, "what, then?"

Oliver rubbed a hand over his face. "How long have you been patrolling?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," she started,then paused, shrugging, "about a month." She had started after the explosion happened, but he didn't need to know specifics.

"What...Mia, _why_?" he asked with a worried frown.

"Because I got tired of being useless," she told him, frowning at him and shrugging.

He blinked. "You're _not_ useless."

"Of course I am, all I'm doing is going to _school_ , which isn't gonna do me any good anyway," she told him, staring at him, "and I'm just stuck here and I have to watch you guys do all the work."

"You're going to school because you're a teenager and you need to get your education," he responded, giving her a look.

"I can do both," she told him, sitting up, "I can go on patrol and go to school just fine, I've been doing it and my grades are still fine."

Oliver gazed at her intently for a long moment. "Why, this?" he asked softly. "Out of everything you could do..."

"What everything? This is the only thing I know how to do." She told him with a frown.

"Mia, you're incredibly smart," he said quietly. "You could do anything you wanted to do. And that's not just me feeding you a cliche."

"What kind of everything, like go to school? You know that stuff doesn't matter, the only reason you keep up with your business stuff is because you have to, you know that this is much more important. Why should I waste time with things that don't matter when I can actually do something that does?" She asked, her voice firm, she knew he was going to try and lie to her and say other things mattered too, but she knew better.

"I want you to go to college, Mia." His voice was quiet, but serious.

She paused and her eyes widened, " _Why_? None of you did."

"Chloe did," Oliver responded, giving her a look. "And AC completed two years of college."

"And look how much good it did them," she told him, giving him a look right back.

"What do you think they would do if this whole thing fell through at some point?" He shook his head a little. "They'd have an advantage over the others."

"No they wouldn't," Mia told him and smirked a little, "because you could just hire everyone at Queen Industries anyway."

"And what if something happened to me?" he asked seriously, gazing at her intently.

Mia stilled at that and shrugged, looking away, "then they would need me to go patrolling even more."

"Mia, look at me," Oliver said softly.

She wrapped her arms around herself and set her jaw, shielding herself from whatever he was about to say before finally looking over at him.

He shifted closer to her, gazing at her. "If there's one thing that life's taught me, it's to have a backup plan. And a backup plan for your backup plan. And that's what I want to pass on to you, more than anything. I'm not trying to be mean here. I want you to go to college and get your education in case everything else falls apart. It's not because I think it will, but it's because I want you--and all of us--to be as prepared as we can be. Does that make sense?"

Mia's arms tightened around herself a little and shrugged, looking down again, "it can't be any worse than it was before you picked me up, so whatever I can get is good enough."

He winced. "And that's _exactly_ why I want you to have backup plans. So you never have to go back to that."

"I'm _not_ going back," she said firmly, her jaw tightening even more.

"Good." His voice was just as firm this time. "And going to college is just one more backup plan to have in place."

Mia stared at him for a long moment then sighed deeply, "fine, but only if you let me patrol."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Let?" he echoed, giving her a look.

She shifted on her chair and shrugged a little, smirking slightly, "you know, I'm making an effort here and letting you pretend you get a say in it. Just go with it."

He frowned at her. "This is dangerous stuff."

Mia sighed and grew serious again, "I know what's out there, and I've been doing it for a while and I haven’t gotten hurt, you gotta give me some credit."

"I am," he said quietly. "But that doesn't mean I won't worry."

"I guess we're even, then." She told him, raising her eyebrows a little.

Oliver paused at that, a small, soft smile touching his lips. "Point."

She looked over at him and smiled a little, a hopeful expression starting to appear on her face.

"Come here, Kid." He rose to his feet and held his arms out.

Mia smiled at him and didn't hesitate before hugging him, she had been pretty freaked out since she saw the newspaper but at least, this had been better than she expected.

He hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "This isn't what I wanted for you," he admitted softly. "But I am proud of you."

Her eyes widened a little at that and she pulled back to look at him, "you are?"

Oliver gazed at her. "Incredibly," he said quietly. "But I always have been."

She smiled a little, not sure how to take the compliment since no one had ever really told her that before, "thanks."

He smiled back at her. "I don't suppose you'd want to go patrolling with _me_ ," he said idly.

At that, her eyes widened even more, and she grinned brightly, "really?"

His eyes lit up at her obvious excitement. "Yeah, really."

" _Awesome_ ," she pulled away from him, "I wanna show you my costume, it's still a work in progress, but I was hoping you could hook me up with the woman who made the other ones so I could get a real one."

Oliver nodded a little. "Show me what you've got so far."

She opened her closet and pulled out a red and yellow hoodie and a pair of dark jeans that already had a hole under one of the knees, "obviously jeans isn't going to cut it, so I definitely need leather pants or something, I'm so not wearing fishnets like Dinah, but I guess the hoodie is okay for now but it's gonna get too hot for the summer."

He considered that for a moment, studying the clothes she'd laid out on her bed. "What about a cape?"

Mia blinked and raised her eyebrows, considering for a moment, "no one else wears a cape, I guess I could start a trend," she told him, smirking slowly.

Oliver grinned at that. "Then you just need to choose a color."

"Red," she grinned, "and yellow," Mia added then made a face, "although I don't wanna look like I'm Impulse's sidekick so it can't look like his costume."

He draped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. Edna will come up with something completely unique for you."

"And I want a symbol too," Mia said, thinking about it, "probably something like an arrow since there really isn't a symbol for Speedy, well, the only one I can think of is Speedy Gonzales and I don't want _that_."

Oliver chuckled. "Well, we can brainstorm. I'm sure we can come up with something." He looked at her sideways. "Maybe a Tasmanian devil," he teased.

"That's obviously Bart with the way he eats," Mia told him, raising her eyebrows.

"Bart has a lightning bolt," he pointed out.

"Lame," she told him and shrugged, "I want something cooler than that."

"How are you with art?" he asked curiously, guiding her toward the door.

Mia considered for a moment and shrugged once more, "not great but I guess I could draw an arrow the way I want it."

Oliver simply smiled.

"What?" She asked, cocking her head and looking up at him.

"Nothing." He glanced at her. "It's just good to be home."

Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head, "don't go all mushy."

He grinned involuntarily. "I can still ground you, you know."

"Why would you wanna do that? I haven't done anything _wrong_ ," she smirked, walking with him down the hall.

Oliver rolled his eyes, elbowing her lightly in the ribs. "Just because."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll race you to the kitchen, I'm hungry." She told him before taking off.

"I suppose you expect me to cook for you!" he called after her, grinning. Then he followed quickly.

She didn't stop until she was in the kitchen, grinning proudly at her victory, "well I could cook, if you wanna eat cereal."

He made a face at that. "Tell me they've been feeding you better than that."

"Dinah cooks sometimes, but we order a lot of take out," she shrugged then grinned, "but now that you're here, you can make Oliver Queen's famous Chilli!"

"Hah! So you _do_ expect me to cook for you," he teased. "Glad I can be useful."

"Gotta get what I want out of you before you decide to leave again," she told him, raising her eyebrows.

"Ouch. Okay, I deserved that," he admitted, moving over to get one of the large pots from beneath the counter.

She made a face but shrugged it off, "sorry you had to come back early because of me."

He paused, turning to face her. "Did you miss the part where I said it was good to be home?"

"Well, no," she said with a roll of her eyes, "but you were on a trip with Chloe and stuff..."

Oliver gazed at her. "I like Lois and it was good to see her, but you're my family." He smiled and turned back to the stove as he began to gather the ingredients for his chili.

Mia rolled her eyes but smiled at him, then paused, frowning, "Chloe didn't come back with you?"

"She's upstairs," he told her with amusement.

"Oh," she said, then frowned at his expression, "what's so funny?"

"Nothing." He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah, right," she moved to stand beside him, "okay so what do you want me to do?"

He paused. "You want me to teach you how to make chili?"

"Well, I was mostly asking you so we can make it faster so we can eat, but I guess I could watch..." Mia told him, raising her eyebrows.

Oliver smirked at her. "Grab a couple peppers from the fridge."

"Okay," she told him, walking over to the fridge and doing as told, mostly, she just wanted to spend time with him because even if she wasn't going to admit it, she missed having him around. Sure, she liked hanging out with the others too, but they weren't _Ollie_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Headquarters -- Star City -- March 5, 2011**

Oliver glanced over to Chloe from where he sat on the edge of her bed, watching her get ready for the night. A small smile touched his lips as he watched her brush her hair. “I don’t know about you but I’m still jet-lagged.” 

Chloe pursed her lips together and took a deep breath, “yeah, me too,” she said, keeping her back to him. At least, she _hoped_ she was jet-lagged. Because that sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation for what she’d been feeling since they landed and even before that. But she wasn’t going to freak him out yet, there was no point in doing so, not until the following morning when she could sneak out and get everything she needed to find out for sure.

He paused, cocking his head to the side. “You all right?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she glanced over her shoulder and smiled a little at him, “just, you know, jet-lagged.”

He nodded a little, watching her. “Yeah. Been a long few days.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed then took a deep breath, putting her brush down and walking over to the bed too and sitting down next to him, doing her best to act normal, “do you wanna sleep here or in your room tonight?”

He frowned a little. “As long as we’re sleeping together, the room doesn’t matter to me. Whichever you’d prefer.” 

“Well, that was the plan, I don’t care which, either.” She told him, and for the first time since they started having sex, she just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t happen tonight, “I’m just exhausted, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Okay,” he said softly, nodding. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Under the covers you go.” 

Chloe pursed her lips together a little and nodded, she didn’t like lying to him especially about something like this, _if_ it was really what it was, but she didn’t even know how to begin to tell him anything. So she just shifted on the bed and pulled the covers down before sliding into bed.

He watched her for a moment, then leaned down and kissed her cheek gently, crawling beneath the covers beside her and resting his head on the pillow. “I love you,” he murmured.

Her chest tightened at the words and she managed to turn away from him to turn the lamp off. She didn’t want him to see the expression on her face, “I love you too,” she whispered.

Oliver felt his own chest tighten as she turned away from him. Something wasn’t right. She was pushing him away again, only this time he had no idea why. He’d thought they were finally on steady ground. He swallowed hard, turning onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. “Night,” he whispered.

“Night,” she said quietly, swallowing hard too and turning her back to him, her stomach tight. She had been sick that morning at Lois’, the next morning while Ollie went downstairs to check them out of the hotel and then again right after they got back to the house in Star City, she didn’t lie when she said she was exhausted. She was, even if she was completely restless and tense. Especially when she realized her period was a whole week late. 

He felt his chest tighten even more as she remained facing away from him. Part of him wanted to put his arm around her, pull her back against him and show her that he wasn’t going anywhere. The other part feared that would be too overbearing, that she’d resent him for it, and it would cause even more distance between them. So instead, he simply shut his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep. 

Too bad that never worked.

* * *  
 **Headquarters -- Star City -- March 6, 2011**

The following morning, Chloe had been awake for hours, but she pretended to be asleep when Oliver got up, she waited in silence until he was out of the room and she knew he was going to the training room to do his yoga routine. 

So she got dressed and grabbed her purse, then made her way down the stairs in complete silence until she was by the door, she grabbed the keys to one of Ollie’s cars and made a run for it, she didn’t want anyone to ask her any questions until she knew for sure.

Oliver sighed softly as he heard one of the cars start. He stared blankly at the wall, holding his pose--standing on his hands and not moving from the pose even when he heard footsteps approaching.

Mia frowned when she walked into the training room, it was Saturday, which meant she didn’t have school, but it also meant she fully expected to either find Chloe and Oliver being cute and gross in the kitchen when she got up, making her breakfast, or she expected them to still be in bed. “What’s going on?”

“Yoga,” he told her, managing a small smile as he drew in a breath. “You?” 

Mia cocked her head to look at him from his upside down position better, “did you and Chloe fight again?”

He slowly came out of the pose, putting his feet back on the ground once more. “No,” he said softly. 

“Why did she just take off?” Mia asked, pulling away a little so she could give him space to get up.

“I’m not sure,” Oliver admitted. “We didn’t fight but...something’s wrong. I’m just not sure what it is.” 

Mia frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him, “want me to find out?”

He cocked his head to the side. “How?” 

“By asking,” she told him, giving him a look, “bet you didn’t try that yet, did you?”

A faint, amused smile touched his lips. “We’re not...so great at communication all the time,” he confessed. 

“Yeah, I _know_ ,” Mia told him, shaking her head and walking over to the window to look outside, “I’ll ask when she gets back, or you know, you could ask.”

He watched her for a moment. “I should talk to her.” He bit his lip.

“Wow, did you think about that one all by yourself?” Mia teased then grinned at him, if Ollie didn’t figure things out, she would but technically it wasn’t really any of her business so she’d give him a chance to.

He smirked at her. “Cute. Really.” He moved over to stand beside her at the window. “I’m afraid to push her,” he said softly. 

That made Mia stop and she frowned again, turning her head to look up at him, “why?”

He considered her for a moment. “She’s been hurt a lot. By more than one person. I don’t want to freak her out with too much too soon.” 

Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head, “yeah, so have you and she’s one of the people who hurt you,” she pointed out, “and I know she’s not as bad as I thought she was, but you’re in a relationship with her, right? You shouldn’t let her get mad at you or whatever and not even ask what’s going on.”

Oliver was quiet for a moment. “I know.” He sighed softly, looking out the window. 

“So you’re gonna ask her as soon as she gets back through that door,” it wasn’t a question, it was very much an affirmation.

“Well, maybe not the very _second_ ,” he said lightly.

“Wuss,” she said with a smirk.

Oliver rolled his eyes and elbowed her in the ribs. “Smart ass.” 

“C’mon, you wanna make me french toast for breakfast,” she told him, grinning. She had to get his mind off of Chloe for the time being, she might as well take advantage of it.

He chuckled. “I see how it is. You just want me here so I can cook for you all the time,” he teased.

“Pretty much,” she smirked and shrugged, then paused when she heard the front door open, frowning as the noise was followed by quick footsteps up the stairs, “guess breakfast will have to wait.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “If you give me a little bit, I’ll fix you that French toast,” he promised, glancing at her sideways.

“Yeah, go, maybe I’ll just drive to McDonalds and get us some breakfast instead,” because Mia knew it was gonna be a while.

He frowned a little. “Yeah. All right.” He paused. “Maybe we can do something for lunch.” 

Mia shrugged and pursed her lips together, “good luck.”

“Thanks,” Oliver murmured. 

He was going to need it.

* * *

Chloe was in her bathroom, pacing the small space and stealing glances at the four pregnancy tests lined up over the sink. Her stomach was so tight, she felt like being sick again, and that only worried her more. She took a deep breath and checked the clock on her phone once more, time seemed to have stopped completely.

He took the steps two at a time, pausing in the doorway of Chloe’s bedroom. “Chloe?” 

She heard him, and held her breath, stilling completely, but not answering. She wanted to make sure, one way or another.

He frowned, stepping into the room and looking at the bathroom door. “Are you all right?” 

Letting out her breath slowly, she swallowed, “yeah, fine,” she said as lightly as she possibly could, her heart beating fast against her chest as she looked down at the tests again.

“Okay.” His brow was furrowed. “Uh, I just...I thought maybe we should talk.” 

Chloe pursed her lips together and glanced at the door, she needed more time, “actually, I was just about to get in the shower, I’ll be downstairs soon.”

Oliver sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face. “All right. I’ll see you downstairs then.” He bit his lip, gazing at the door.

“I won’t be long,” she told him, swallowing, then stepping closer to the bathtub and starting the water.

“Okay.” Worry crept over him as he headed for the door.

She sighed deeply and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, letting the water run with no intention of getting inside. With her phone in her hand as she waited, she didn’t know how she was going to tell him one way or the other. The subject terrified her, she didn’t even want to think about having kids and she knew Oliver was worried, so she was going to have to tell him no matter the outcome, because she refused to lie to him.

* * * 

Oliver headed into the kitchen, pausing when he caught sight of Mia heading for the door. “Sure you wouldn’t rather have homemade French toast than Mickey D’s?” he asked.

She stopped and frowned, turning to look at him, “that was too fast.”

“She’s getting in the shower,” he explained with a small smile. “Looks like you’re stuck with me instead. Unless you really would rather have McDonalds.” 

Mia frowned and shrugged, “no, I guess if she’s gonna be a while, we can make something.”

His expression brightened a little at her agreement. “Cool.” 

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Chloe was finally making her way downstairs, her hands were still shaking a little, but the shower had helped her calm down, now came the worst part: talking to Oliver. Except, by the sounds and smell that were coming from the kitchen, that would have to wait.

“Hey.” Oliver looked up as she stepped into the room. “We made French toast. Hungry?” 

Chloe pursed her lips together and shook her head a little, “I’m not hungry, thank you.” 

Mia frowned and studied Chloe for a second then looked over at Oliver, chewing on a large piece of toast and strawberries.

Oliver looked back at Mia uncertainly. 

She just shrugged at him and raised her eyebrows. 

Chloe looked at the interaction between them and sat down by the table, “so what are the plans for today?” She asked, doing her best to sound normal.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t think we had anything planned until tonight.” He raised an eyebrow at Mia.

“What’s tonight?” Chloe asked, doing her best to sound curious.

“Patrolling,” he admitted. 

Mia smirked at that and nodded, “I’m gonna show you who should be whose sidekick.”

He smirked back at her. “Bring it on, Speedy.” 

“You’ll see,” she smirked and took another bite of toast. 

Chloe tried her best to smile at the interaction, but her heart wasn’t in it. 

Oliver glanced over at her, his smile slipping just a little at the expression on her face. “You sure you’re not hungry?” 

“Yeah,” she tried harder for a smile, “maybe later.”

“Right,” he murmured.

Mia frowned and rolled her eyes as she turned her face down to her plate, she was gonna leave them alone, but she was gonna finish her breakfast first.

Oliver shifted slightly in his chair as he finished his breakfast. “I’m gonna go shower,” he said quietly, moving away from the table and heading out of the room.

With a frown, Mia watched him, but didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” Chloe answered quietly, watching him. 

He sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face and making his way back to Chloe’s room, which is where he’d put all his stuff when they’d gotten back from Kenya. Shrugging a little, he pulled out some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom connected to Chloe’s room, pausing as he caught sight of a pink and white box in the trash can. 

He froze, staring at it wide-eyed. 

Holy crap. 

Chloe was _pregnant._


	3. Chapter 3

**Headquarters -- Star City -- March 6, 2011**

Chloe was more than a little frustrated. When she heard him finishing his shower, she also heard the front door opening; apparently Dinah and AC were back from their morning swim. She greeted them and made her way to the computer room, hoping it would be empty, but there was Victor; who was incredibly excited and spent the next few hours explaining the new security system he had built for both the headquarters and the Watchtower.

She didn't even see Oliver until lunch, when she finally managed to get away from Victor's technobabble, which she normally found incredibly interesting except she had more important things on her mind at the time being.

They had all agreed to having a meeting later that night, not only because they had a 'new' team member, but also because Victor wanted to explain the system for everyone. Of course, with the entire team in the house, it was impossible to get Oliver alone, so instead, she had given up on talking to him for the time being and settled down on the couch, watching as Mia and Bart argued over which movie they should watch. The last thing she needed was for the whole team to realize something was going on and start poking their noses around it too, it was bad enough that Mia kept staring at her, the teenager clearly knew _something_ was up.

Oliver had spent most of the afternoon doing research on his computer and trying not to freak out. After all, if Chloe hadn't told him she was pregnant, it obviously meant _she_ was freaking out and that she expected the same from him. Which meant he was going to have to be the calm, level-headed one and prove to her that he was with her, and their baby, no matter what. So he'd fixed her a cheeseburger on the grill, along with a glass of milk (because pregnant women needed a lot of calcium according to his research), and carried both out to her in the living room. "Here you go." He offered her his best charming smile as he sat down beside her, setting the tray he'd set her food on in her lap and holding onto the glass so it didn't get spilled. 

Chloe blinked, looking down at the tray then up at him in confusion, "thanks?" She wasn't hungry, at all, and then there was a glass of milk in front of her and the only two ways she _ever_ drank milk was with coffee or cereal.

"You're welcome. You didn't eat breakfast and all you had for lunch was an apple," he explained. "So I figured a big cheeseburger would sound good."

It didn't, but he seemed very proud of himself for making it and he was obviously worried about her, so she was going to make an effort and eat as much as she could force herself to, "thanks, Ollie, you really didn't have to do that."

"I know." He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly, offering her a smile. "Do you want anything to go with the burger? I could make some fries or something."

"No, I'm okay," she smiled a little at him then folded the legs of the tray and carefully placed it on the coffee table, she didn't want the food so close to her face and the sight of milk just might make her be sick again, but not to hurt his feelings, she pulled the burger plate onto her lap and took a careful bite of it.

He watched her carefully, sensing she wasn't really that hungry. Or maybe it was evening morning-sickness. He grimaced a little, reaching out and rubbing her back gently.

Mia watched the interaction with a frown on her face, not sure what to make of it, but she finally turned to Bart and sighed, "fine, we can watch stupid Fast and the Furious again."

Chloe glanced at the other two and raised her eyebrows a little then pursed her lips together and forced herself to take another bite, glancing at Oliver, who had been staring at her like she was about to grow a second head, "I'm okay," she assured him.

"Oh, I know. I know. Are you still tired from the trip?" he asked softly. "Maybe you should go to bed early again."

"No, I wanna be around, make sure you get help if you need it tonight," she said very quietly so Mia wouldn't hear her, besides, she planned on finally telling him everything when he got back from patrol and everyone had gone to bed, it was probably the only alone time they'd have with the whole team in the house, and that way, he'd have some time to process the information before he saw the others.

"We won't stay out too late," he promised softly, kissing her temple. Not when she needed her rest. And Mia would understand.

Chloe relaxed a little and leaned into his side, burger still on her lap, but she would get back to it soon.

He smiled faintly as he felt her relax. "Maybe we can just hang out here for awhile. Relax. Do more behind the scenes stuff," he suggested.

She raised her eyebrows a little and looked up at him, "what do you mean?"

"I mean...stay in Star City for awhile," Oliver said softly, watching her.

"Oh..." she considered for a moment and let out a breath, "I guess, I mean unless we hear about Lex, we have no reason to leave."

Oliver smiled, nodding a little and kissing her forehead. "Good."

Chloe looked up at him and watched him silently for a moment then pursed her lips together and looked back down at her burger, picking it up and taking another bite.

He glanced over at Mia and Bart, who had finally popped in a movie. "Let's get movie night going."

"Just to keep us entertained until the main event," Mia said with a smirk, grabbing the popcorn bowl from Bart.

Oliver smirked at her. "As long as it keeps you awake and alert," he teased.

"I'm more awake and alert than you, old man." She smirked back, eating a handful of popcorn.

"We'll see, Kid." His smirk widened and he wound his arm around Chloe's shoulders.

Chloe shifted closer to him and leaned against his side, taking another reluctant bite of the burger, she was kind of hungry, but she felt like whatever she ate was going to make her sick, so she was just going to be very careful about it.

He smiled softly at her, leaning his head against hers. They were going to have a baby. And somehow, he wasn't nearly as freaked out about that as he had been earlier.

* * *

**Star City Gazette Rooftop -- March 6, 2011**

Oliver gazed out over the city, his legs dangling over the side of the roof as he sat beside Mia, listening to the sounds of the night. They'd stopped three muggings and a carjacking, and as much as he didn't want to see Mia following in his footsteps in this particular business, he had to admit she was good at it. Really good.

"I got that arrow right in his shoulder too!" Mia grinned, she had been silent for a moment, replaying the best of the night in her head, "bet _he_ is going to think twice before mugging someone again." She said, still lost in thought as she looked down at her bow.

"I have no doubt. Once you get an arrow through the hand or the shoulder, it tends to detour you from whatever it was you were doing," he said wryly.

Mia winced and nudged Oliver with her elbow, she knew he had gotten an arrow through the hand from his old mentor, trying to save _her_ , but she hadn't meant to bring that up, "yeah, you'd know."

He grinned at her. "Let's hope you never do."

"I'm not called Speedy for nothing," she told him with a smirk.

He smirked back at her. "Speaking of being speedy...how do you think you'll do chasing after a kid?" he asked casually.

Mia paused and frowned at that, blinking as she stared at him, "what?"

He was quiet for a moment and then he looked at her sideways. "Can you keep a secret?" His voice was soft.

"...Yeah?" She said slowly, staring at him.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Chloe's pregnant," he said quietly. "I found the test in the garbage this morning. She hasn't said anything, but...it explains why she's been acting weird."

Her eyes widened even more and Mia just stared at him, "you're gonna have a kid?"

"Apparently," he said with a slight nod, watching her reaction carefully.

Mia watched him quietly for a moment then grinned a little, shrugging, "I think you're gonna be a good dad."

Oliver smiled softly. "Yeah?"

She nodded, shrugging a little, "yeah," she told him, "but the kid better not call me aunt, I'm not gonna be _that_ much older than it."

He chuckled softly, and glanced at her sideways. "What about big sister?" He arched an eyebrow.

Pursing her lips together, she looked at him, speaking carefully, "Well, I was thinking something like cousin, but if you and Chloe are cool with that..."

"Well, _technically_ , I'm too young to be your dad, but in your case I'd make an exception. It's up to you."

"You _are_ my legal guardian, though," she pointed out, smiling at him, "so I guess it makes sense..."

He smiled back, his eyes bright and he wrapped an arm around her, giving her a sideways hug. "Cool"

She returned the hug and smiled, looking back out at the city, she had the feeling that having a kid around was going to make them feel even more like a family and she was looking forward to that.

* * *

**Headquarters, Star City -- March 6, 2011**

Once everyone was either back or pretty close to the house, Chloe made her way to her room. Now she only had to wait for Oliver to come and find her and get everything out. She didn't like to have him worrying about her like he seemed to without even really knowing what was going on.

After changing out of his leathers and showering, Oliver made his way down the hallway and knocked softly on the open door. "Chloe?" 

"Hey," she smiled a little and motioned for him to come in, her stomach clenching.

Oliver stepped into the room and shut the door behind him quietly. "We should talk." His voice was soft.

Chloe raised her eyebrows and nodded a little, pursing her lips together, "we should."

He gazed at her a moment. "I already know, Chloe."

She blinked, her eyes widening a little, "you do?"

He nodded slightly. "I found the box in the trash this morning," he admitted, taking a step toward her.

"Oh," her face fell a little then she shook her head, "I wasn't trying to hide it from you, I just wanted to make sure."

"It's all right. I understand." He offered her a small smile. "And we'll be okay."

Chloe frowned a little at that, "Ollie, what did you see?"

"The box," he repeated, moving closer to her. "Look, I know what you're going to say. That we haven't really been together that long, that it's too soon, that we're not ready, that our lives are too dangerous, and you have a point with all of those. But the fact is, I love you, Chloe. And the rest of it...we'll figure it out. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and our baby safe. You need to know that. And I'm with you. All the way. I'll be there for all of it. Doctor's appointments and lamaze classes and play dates and first days of school." He smiled, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders. "And I know you're freaked out, and that's okay. I'm not. We can do this. Together."

She stared at him as he spoke, she tried to stop him a couple of times, but he kept going and her chest tightened even more at every word and it made what she actually had to tell him even harder, "Ollie..." she started, shaking her head a little, "the tests were negative," she whispered, placing her hands on his sides, "I'm not pregnant."

He paused, staring back at her, truly surprised. "What?"

"I thought I was, I was getting sick and my period is late but I bought four different tests this morning and they were all negative, I probably just have some kind of food poisoning plus the jet lag, but I'm not pregnant," she repeated, stepping closer to him, "I'm sorry you thought differently and I tried to tell you but with everyone around today... I thought it would be better until we could have time alone tonight so we could talk about it."

He blinked a few times, then let his hands drop from her shoulders. "Oh," he murmured, trying to wrap his mind around that.

Her chest tightened a little and she couldn't help but feel like she had just let him down, even if she was relieved about the results, for all the reasons he had pointed out earlier, but most of all, because Lex was still out there. "I'm sorry," she whispered quietly.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It's all right." He drew in a breath. "I should've pulled you aside and asked about it instead of jumping to conclusions just because I saw a box." 

Chloe pursed her lips together and nodded a little, "I should have told you last night, when I started thinking it was a possibility."

"Guess we still have some work to do on that whole communication thing," he said quietly.

"Yeah..." she agreed and shook her head a little, "I had never had one of those scares before, I wasn't sure how to deal with it," she admitted in a whisper, "but I should have told you, it's as much your business as it is mine."

Oliver was silent for a moment. "It's all right." 

"If it happens again," she said quietly, watching him closely, "I will let you know as soon as I think it's a possibility," she promised, still feeling guilty about their miscommunication. It wasn't surprising that Oliver would cling to the idea of a family as soon as it was a possibility, but he had been so sure and now he just looked... disappointed, like something had been taken from him.

He nodded a little. "Okay." He leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly.

She hesitated then stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him tightly, "thank you for being so supportive," because if it had been true, she would need him and all the promises he made in his speech earlier.

Oliver closed his eyes, hugging her back and resting his chin atop her head, his chest feeling tight.

Chloe just held him tightly in silence for a very long time, rubbing his back soothingly, "I know you're disappointed," she whispered quietly, and she didn't want to have this conversation at all, but she was forcing herself to talk to him about this because she knew he needed it, "but just because it hasn't happened now, it doesn't mean it won't happen eventually, after we take care of Lex and maybe once things are more... settled. It's not a one chance thing."

He paused at that, not sure if she really meant it or if she was just trying to ease his disappointment. And he was disappointed. He'd been freaked out right at first, but he'd gotten over that quickly. He'd always loved kids, and he'd wished more than once he'd had a brother or sister, or even a cousin while he was growing up, but it had always just been him. Until he'd found Mia, anyway. He drew in a breath. "It's kind of dumb, isn't it? Being disappointed, considering everything we do."

"No," she said quietly, rubbing his back still and pulling her head back to look at him, "I know that there is nothing you crave more than family, Ollie. It makes sense that you'd want a _real_ one of your own."

He managed a small, faint smile, nodding a little. "It doesn't mean I don't love or appreciate the crazy family we already have," he said softly.

"Of course it doesn't," she smiled a little back at him and lifted a hand to cup his cheek.

He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand, drawing in a breath and then wincing a little. "I should...go talk to Mia."

Chloe paused at that and frowned a little, blinking after a second as realization hit her, "you told her?"

He gave her an apologetic look. "Yeah," he admitted, looking down at the floor.

That just made Chloe feel even worse about the whole thing, he had been so excited, he hadn't even been able to keep it to himself. She hesitated a little and loosened her arms around him, but didn't let go completely, "I guess you should, then."

Oliver leaned in and kissed her softly. "Are you feeling better?" He winced, realizing he'd basically forced her to eat a cheeseburger earlier that evening. "If you want, I can fix you some soup and bring it up after I talk to Mia."

"No, I'm okay," she told him quietly, letting out a breath, not meeting his gaze, "I was just... really nervous, so I think that didn't help with my already upset stomach."

He nodded a little, watching her, a frown settling on his face. "Chloe?"

She pursed her lips together and looked up at him.

"Are _you_ all right?"

"Yeah," she said quietly then shrugged, trying for a smile, "it's just been a stressful thirty-six hours."

"Right," he murmured, watching her for a moment. He lifted a hand to her cheek. "Why don't you crawl in bed?" he suggested. "I'll be back in a few minutes. We can sleep in tomorrow."

Chloe leaned into his touch and nodded a little, her chest still tight, but now not because she was afraid of what he would say, but because she felt like she'd just taken it from him, "yeah, that sounds good."

He searched her eyes, feeling like something was still wrong. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she told him quietly.

He kissed her forehead. "I'll be back." He reluctantly let his hand drop from her cheek and headed for the door.

She watched him and while she really didn't want him to leave, she knew that it was probably better that he spoke to Mia now, before she told anyone else. With a soft sigh, she turned around and pulled the covers back before sliding into bed.

Oliver made his way to a couple doors down the hall and knocked softly, biting his lip as he waited for Mia to tell him to come in.

Mia frowned at the knock and looked over at the door, she had just finished getting ready for bed and was about to get into bed when she heard it, "what?" She called, sure that it was Bart stopping by to annoy her.

"Hey, it's me," he said, keeping his voice low, but just loud enough to be heard, in case anyone was already sleeping.

"Oh," she frowned harder, "come in."

He stepped inside the room hesitantly and offered her a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No," and the look on his face didn't go unnoticed, "what's wrong?"

Oliver shut the door behind them just so they wouldn't be overheard. "I was wrong."

"About what?" Mia raised her eyebrows a little.

He drew in a breath. "Chloe's not pregnant. She thought she was, but...she took a couple tests and..." He shook his head.

Mia blinked a couple of times then raised her eyebrows, "oh."

"I just figured I should let you know." He shrugged a little.

She shrugged a little too and nodded, "thanks."

"Sure," he said softly, turning to leave once more. "Night."

Mia pursed her lips together for a moment but decided against saying anything else, "night."

Oliver gave her a small wave over his shoulder before he stepped out of her room once more, pulling the door shut behind him. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. Who knew finding out you _weren't_ going to be a father would be so stressful?


End file.
